SPONSORED BY

2015 Houston Palestine Film Festival: The Wanted 18

Courtesy photo

The Wanted 18 re-creates a true story from the First Palestinian Intifada: The Israeli army's pursuit of 18 cows, whose independent milk production on a Palestinian collective farm was declared "a threat to the national security of the state of Israel." Tired of depending upon Israel and supporting the Israeli economy at their own detriment, the West Bank town of Beit Sahour decided to buy cows to produce their own milk as a cooperative. Their successful venture became a landmark, and the cows local celebrities, until the Israeli military took note.

Consequently, the dairy was forced to go underground where the cows continued to produce their "Intifada milk" with the Israeli army in relentless pursuit.

The film uses stop-motion animation, drawings, and interviews to create an enchanting tribute to grassroots activism, illustrating the old adage that violence is a failure of the imagination.